Tag: Speeches

Ylva Johansson – 2022 Speech on General Visa Issuance in Relation to Russian Applicants
The speech made by Ylva Johansson, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, on 30 September 2022.

Firstly I want to say – Putin cannot win, and will not win

Every step he takes show we cannot trust him, we cannot deal with him or show weakness

The recent ‘sham referenda’ in occupied Ukrainian and the mobilisation of Russian citizens confirm this.

Now following the mobilisation order, we can see Russian citizen trying to enter the EU.

That is, from certain perspectives, understandable, they don’t want to go to war in another country that has been occupied by their leader.

This said, avoiding the mobilisation does not necessarily equate to opposing the war as such. In addition, it cannot be excluded that Russian citizens trying to circumvent the mobilisation by getting into the EU, also constitute a threat to public policy, the internal security or the international relations of a Member State or the Union as a whole.

That’s why, on our external borders we should be very vigilant regarding letting people from Russia in.

We already abolished the VISA facilitation agreement, we adopted guidelines for Member States – so already now it is very cumbersome and expensive to enter the EU from Russia as a tourist.

Now we take one more step.

We must ensure the security of Europe and its citizens.

We have to keep in mind – to come to Europe is a privilege, not a fundamental right.

We should stay open, of course, to dissidents, journalists independent from the Russian government.

These are bravely and actively opposing the Putin Regime.

But we should very carefully scrutinize case by case every application.

And we must take the geopolitical aspects into account.

What is new in the Guidance?

The Guidance we are adopting today covers both Visas and the management of External Borders
1. On Visas we have updated our previous guidance
1. New visas
- Stricter assessments and security over new visas
  - Schengen visas are issued for short stays of 90 days cannot cannot provide a long-term solution for Russian citizens seeking to avoid mobilisation.
  - For Schengen visas we have restricted our approach for all Russians, including for Russian citizens escaping the military mobilisation order.
  - MS should apply a strict approach assessing the justification of the journey.
  - It should be ascertained whether there are reasonable doubts as to the reliability of the statements made by the applicant or his/her intention to leave the territory of the MS before the expiry of the visa applied for.
  - This is without prejudice to the right of such individuals to seek international protection under the EU asylum laws or the possibility to apply for national long-stay visas or residence permits at EU consulates.
- Restrictive approach of place of visa application
  - Following President Putin’s military mobilisation order, significant numbers of Russian conscripts have fled to neighbouring and other countries with the aim to avoid the Russian army. There are widespread expectations that many will seek to obtain Schengen visas in view of continuing their journey inside the EU.
  - In our guidance we make it clear that – pursuant to Article 6 of the Visa Code – applications should only be examined by the consulate of the competent MS in whose jurisdiction the applicant legally resides.
  - On this basis Member States should not accept Schengen visa applications from citizens of the Russian Federation that are present in a third country, such as for example Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates etc. for short stay or for purposes of transit.
  - Such applicants should be directed to the consulate competent for their place of residence, normally in the Russian Federation.
  - Exceptions can be made in cases of hardship and for humanitarian reasons (e.g. family visits due to sudden serious illness of a relative residing in the EU, dissidents, human rights defenders).
- Confirms the humanitarian exceptions and clarifies its individual application
  - The Visa Code contains derogatory provisions allowing for the issuing of short stay visas on humanitarian grounds, for reasons of national interest or because of international obligations.
- - This is relevant, for instance, in case of visa applications lodged by dissidents, independent journalists, human rights defenders and representatives of civil society organisations and their close family members, that are not controlled by the government of the Russian Federation and their close family members.
  - Member States should apply these derogatory provisions after a thorough assessment. It is therefore up to Member States, based on an individual examination, to assess if applications by Russian citizens can qualify as falling under the category “humanitarian grounds”. There is no unique set of documents that would prove that a person qualifies for a visa on humanitarian grounds, because individual circumstances differ too widely and need a case-by-case assessment.
1. Revocation and annulment of valid visas
- Stricter scrutiny of valid visas irrespective of the issuing Member State
  - MS should also adopt a strict approach with respect to reassessing visas already issued to any citizen of the Russian Federation, similarly to the principles applied when assessing new visa applications
  - In case there are grounds for annulment/revocation, such a decision may be taken by the border guard irrespective of the visa issuing MS. The authority should inform the issuing MS accordingly as well as affix the corresponding stamp on the visa sticker and enter the information on the annulment/revocation in the Visa Information System.
1. Guidelines on controls of Russian citizens at the external borders (Schengen Border Code)
1. Coordinated and through checks at the external borders to ensure protection of the Schengen area
Coordinated strong checks at the EU external borders protect not only security in the MS concerned, but also the integrity of the Schengen area as a whole.

Coherent and comprehensive checks of Russian citizens
- Border guards at all the border crossing points at the external borders should assess in a coherent fashion whether a Russian citizen crossing the EU’s external border fulfils the entry conditions into the Schengen area. This is to avoid that an applicant who has been denied entry by a Member State is admitted by another one.
- In accordance with Article 30 of the Visa Code, the mere possession of a visa does not confer an automatic right of entry into the Schengen area.
- If the entry of a Russian citizen is refused on the grounds that they are considered to pose a threat to the public policy or internal security of the MS entry should be refused.
- With a view to carrying out such an individual assessment, border guards should notably conduct a thorough interview with a Russian citizen seeking to enter the Schengen area. In addition to a check on the basis of travel document data, a check using fingerprints in the Schengen Information System should be carried out, to also detect alerts on persons using false or unknown identities.
- In this context, border guards should also take into account that allowing a Russian citizen to enter the Schengen area at a time when their country of origin is engaging in an illegal military aggression against an EU candidate country, could seriously harm the international relations of any MS with Ukraine, with another MS, or the EU as such. Therefore, the Commission recommends that border guard authorities consider the current geopolitical context when carrying out their case-by-case assessment. In light of the additional workload this reinforced scrutiny will lead to, Member States are encouraged to transfer additional staff to the border guards force located at the external borders concerned.
However, the heightened scrutiny must not lead to denying entry to persons that have a legitimate interest to leave the Russian and should be performed in a way that preserve the right to seek asylum and prevents risks of non refoulement.

Carriers Liability

The carriers are obliged to immediately assume responsibility for third-country nationals who are refused entry into the territory of one of the MS. r.

It is therefore important that carriers remain vigilant when verifying the presence of travel documents required for entry. The Member States are encouraged to offer practical support to the carriers in this regard.

Monitoring

The Commission will closely monitor the implementation of these new guidelines, in particular through the Blueprint Network. We will also discuss their implementation with Member States in the context of IPCR and adapt them in accordance with the evolving reality on the ground.
30/09/2022
Ursula von der Leyen – 2022 Statement on New Sanctions Against Russia

The statement made by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on 28 September 2022.

We wanted to present together the eighth package of sanctions. Last week, Russia has escalated the invasion of Ukraine to a new level. The sham referenda organised in the territories that Russia occupied are an illegal attempt to grab land and to change international borders by force. The mobilisation and Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons are further steps on the escalation path.

We do not accept the sham referenda nor any kind of annexation in Ukraine. And we are determined to make the Kremlin pay for this further escalation. So today, we are together proposing a new package of biting sanctions against Russia.

The first part concerns the listing of individuals and entities that will be presented by the HR/VP, Josep Borrell, in a moment.

I want to focus on the second part of these sanctions that will further restrict trade. By that, we isolate and hit Russia’s economy even more. So we propose sweeping new import bans on Russian products. This will keep Russian products out of the European market and deprive Russia of an additional EUR 7 billion in revenues. We are also proposing to extend the list of products that cannot be exported to Russia anymore. The aim is here to deprive the Kremlin’s military complex of key technologies. For example, this includes additional aviation items, or electronic components and specific chemical substances. These new export bans will additionally weaken Russia’s economic base and will weaken its capacity to modernise. We will also propose additional bans on providing European services to Russia, and a prohibition for EU nationals to sit on governing bodies of Russian state-owned enterprises. Russia should not benefit from European knowledge and expertise.

The third complex is concerning Russian oil. As you know, Russia is using the profits from the sale of fossil fuels to finance its war. Concerning Russian oil, you might recall that we have already agreed to ban seaborne Russian crude oil in the European Union as of 5 December. But we also know that certain developing countries still need some Russian oil supplies, but at low prices. Thus, the G7 has agreed in principle to introduce a price cap on Russian oil for third countries. This oil price cap will help reduce Russia’s revenues on the one hand and it will keep global energy markets stable on the other hand. Today, in this package, here, we are laying the legal basis for this oil price cap.

And my last point that I want to focus on is: We are stepping up our efforts to crack down on circumvention of sanctions. Here, we are adding a new category. In this category, we will be able to list individuals if they circumvent our sanctions. So for example, if they buy goods in the European Union, bring them to third countries and then to Russia, this would be a circumvention of our sanctions, and those individuals could be listed. I think this will have a major deterring effect. Our sanctions have hit Putin’s system hard. They have made it more difficult for him to sustain the war. And we are increasing our efforts here and moving forward.

30/09/2022
David Hope – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Baron Hope of Craighead)

The tribute made by David Hope, Baron Hope of Craighead, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

My Lords, much has been rightly made of Her Majesty’s deep religious conviction. At the other end of the huge breadth of her character are her corgis and wonderful sense of humour. I draw from my own experience of her commitment to the Church of Scotland and her love of ponies, particularly the highland pony.

When she was at Balmoral, Crathie was her parish church and she worshipped there every Sunday. When she was at Holyrood, in Edinburgh, she worshipped at the parish church of Canongate Kirk. It was not just the routine of worship that inspired her feelings about the Church of Scotland; it was a deep interest in what the Church of Scotland was all about.

That was brought to my attention when I served for two years, at her request, as the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. My function was to represent Her Majesty at the beginning and end of a week when the Church met to discuss its affairs, and to attend the assembly every day for prayers as the week went on. I had the huge privilege of living in Holyrood Palace, effectively with the status of one below the Queen. I was known as “Your Grace” and, as soon as I went outside the door, the full national anthem was played—and no doubt there were some archers there as well.

It was a very demanding week, but even more demanding was the request, two or three weeks later, to report to Her Majesty in an audience of half an hour what the Church had been discussing in its General Assembly. It was a formidable undertaking, but it was suggested to me that the atmosphere would be lightened a bit if I could offer Her Majesty a present. But this raised the question: what present can you possibly give a Queen that she has never received before? Among the many charities she supported is the Highland Pony Society, of which she was patron. We have seen on many occasions her love of ponies as well as horses—particularly the Highland pony, which she bred at Balmoral with great success. My wife, who has ponies, suggested that we might make a cushion on which we would embroider the portrait of a pony—and that is what we did.

The next question is: how do you present the Queen with a cushion? I asked one of the people masterminding the audience how to do this. I asked him, “Will you hand the cushion to Her Majesty for me?” He said, “No, not at all, you must take it in yourself”. So I walked into the audience clutching a cushion under my arm, took the three steps forward, bowed and—I am afraid to say—blurted out, “Your Majesty, I have a present for you”. It was remarkable to see a lovely smile spread across her face, particularly when she saw what was on the cushion. “Ah, I must take this to Balmoral”, she said. So I felt that I had scored some success there.

However, the second year, I had to do the same again—give her a full report on what the Church had been doing—and we wondered what we should present this time. My wife said, “Well, last time it was a cushion with the pony facing one way, and it is always known that horses become very uneasy if they are on their own. Why don’t we give her a cushion with a horse facing the other way?” So that is what we did. For the second time, I went into the audience, stepped forward three times, bowed with the cushion and handed it forward. Again, a wonderful smile spread across her face. I suspect that we spent rather more time talking about ponies than we did about the Church of Scotland—but that is another matter. This time, she thanked me for it. Later on, it was reported to me that, at the end of the day’s business, she went into lunch clutching the cushion and said to everybody around the luncheon table, “Look what I’ve got”. It was typical of her that she entered into the fun of it. From the very beginning of the presentation of the cushion, there was this huge sense of fun and enjoyment that we had this little private engagement together about ponies and cushions.

I look back with enormous gratitude to these flashes of her sense of humour and her generous nature—which not many people are given at all, although some of us in this House have encountered it many times. I owe a particular thanks to her for appointing me to that office and for the way in which she received me when it was my turn to report on my duties. Of course we mourn her loss deeply, and we wish His Majesty King Charles III every success in the demanding life that he will now lead. I conclude my speech with the same words that have been mentioned earlier, His Majesty’s own words: “Simply, thank you”.

30/09/2022
Alexander Scrymgeour – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (12th Earl of Dundee)

The tribute made by Alexander Scrymgeour, the 12th Earl of Dundee, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

My Lords, I pay tribute as Her Majesty’s hereditary banner-bearer for Scotland. Along with your Lordships, I send condolences to the Royal Family.

As has been said, the Queen’s passing yesterday is already noted everywhere to have caused shock, uncertainty and even fear. Yet the corollary of that is the healing strength of what she achieved.

Whether here in the United Kingdom, in the Commonwealth or elsewhere abroad, there are her priorities for how things should be.

These may perhaps be summarised by her comments in London in 1969, at the 20th anniversary of Europe’s human rights institution, of which the United Kingdom remains a key member:

“The Council of Europe provides us with a means to dismantle the barriers to communication, understanding and common effort between the European peoples. For the sake of future generations and for the peace and prosperity of our continent, we should grasp this opportunity with both hands.”

The Queen’s humour, warm personality, astuteness and concern for others are well known across the world. The noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, referred to her corgis and love of animals—an attribute shared with St Francis. Certainly at all times, her wishes were to encourage the prescriptions of harmony within the famous prayer of St Francis.

I join your Lordships in recognising the enormous benefits that her long reign brought to all of us, both nationally and internationally, with huge thanks; and with appreciation for her remarkable legacy that will endure.

30/09/2022
Michael Farmer – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Baron Farmer)

The tribute made by Michael Farmer, Baron Farmer, in the House of Lords on 9 September 2022.

My Lords, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Judge, is getting up and walking out, but I want to pick up on a point that he made in his speech earlier on, which struck a note with me. It was the point about constitutional monarchy, as we have heard from time to time during the speeches today, and how apt this place in particular is to make tributes to Her Majesty. This place, the House of Lords, is where Her Majesty sits on the Throne at the State Opening and calls in the Commons so that they can hear the Queen’s Speech. Here is the place where the constitutional monarchy is on display at its most effective, if you like, at the beginning of every parliamentary year. It struck me very much what the noble and learned Lord, Lord Judge, said, and it is certainly, for me, an honour and a privilege to be able to stand here and say what a wonderful Queen we have had.

I want to start at the end, in a way, where many other Peers have started, with the photo, this week, leaning forwards and slightly stooped to shake the other Liz’s hand: a little old lady in a cardigan. The new Prime Minister’s dark suit was the epitome of power dressing and her height was accentuated in the foreground of the shot. Yet, despite the optics—and without any disrespect to our Prime Minister—I think, when we looked at the picture, we all knew where the real power lay in that handshake. I actually passed the photograph around our office and said, “Where is the real power?” And it was obvious.

Soft power, which we have heard about today, was a phrase that could have been coined for the Queen—the ability to co-opt rather than coerce. She would say herself that it came primarily not from her constitutional position but from her utter dependence on God, his son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, who so clearly worked through her. Interestingly, I hear that President Biden has today ordered all American flags worldwide to be flown at half-mast until after the funeral. What a display of power—for one British individual to have the American flag flying at half-mast for such a length of time.

The Queen was a unique expression of God’s grace. In the final words of her last Christmas message, she described Jesus as

“a man whose teachings have been handed down from generation to generation, and have been the bedrock of my faith.”

Throughout her reign, in her Christmas messages in particular, she referred to him as her rock. In his Letter to the Galatians, St Paul lists the fruit of the Holy Spirit—a list of the essence of the character of God—as love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, faithfulness and self-control.

Let us think of those words. We have mentioned love today: love for her family, the people she served and the nation. We have heard anecdotes in every single speech in which she was so thoughtful and caring to those around her. As for joy, we have heard about her sense of humour—its infectiousness, her smile and her zest for life. As for peace, we have heard also of her work, her shaking that hand in Ireland. We have heard about the peaceful overtures we have seen her make publicly in her family difficulties.

Then we have the kindness, goodness and gentleness that pervaded her. I will come back to faithfulness. As for patience and self-control, I often remember sitting in the middle of these Benches at State Opening, when the Table was removed. We were all waiting patiently; the Queen had come in and was sitting on the Throne as Black Rod had gone down to bang on the door. We were all looking at the Queen, as she looked over our heads down the Corridor, and you could hear shambling, laughing and casual chatting slowly ambling up towards us. As I looked at her, I thought “There is patience but also self-control.” There was a steeliness in her eyes which I think she was controlling.

With all humility, coming back to faithfulness, I have made a recommendation that she should have the designation “Elizabeth the Faithful”. We have had Kings in the past, and there have been many Kings of other countries, who have had an adjective following their name to define them. This would be an epigram of her constancy, faithfulness and outworked sense of duty to God and man since she made those promises when she was so young, to make the uniqueness of her reign stand out in the sweep of history to come for future generations and in future centuries.

Coming back to the present, I mentioned Biden earlier. Apparently Vladimir Putin has acknowledged:

“For many decades Elizabeth II rightfully enjoyed her subjects’ love and respect as well as authority on the world stage.”

Even those who rule in a contrary spirit recognise and respect the miracle that she was to us. Light has a habit of overcoming darkness. She is a miracle of the modern age.

I should like to finish by talking about prayer. Noble Lords pray here at the start of every day. You could say we pray by rote, but we pray for our monarch—that God will direct and bless them, and give them wisdom, happiness and health. One must not forget all the congregations and church assemblies, in the villages and towns, that pray for the monarch. In all sorts of gatherings there are people praying for the monarch.

I say to all who have been praying over the years that your prayers have been answered. Do believe in the power of prayer; it is heard and it does work. Look at the Queen’s life, which I have just described as a miracle. Where can the strength have come from to do what she did?

I finish with the encouragement to carry on praying and to pray that our new King has a long and glorious life of service. As I say without any doubt, God hears and answers these prayers. We all know it would please her for us to say that we will now lift up those prayers for our gracious monarch King Charles III. May he be blessed bountifully in his reign. We will continue to be faithful in doing that.

30/09/2022
Jesse Norman – 2022 Speech at the Atlantic Future Forum

The speech made by Jesse Norman, the Minister of State at the Foreign Office, in New York on 29 September 2022.

National and Economic Security Policy in a Geopolitical Age: the UK’s approach

Thank you very much indeed, Samira, who can follow that extraordinary exchange we had just had between Eric Schmidt and General Sir Patrick Sanders. What an education that was in itself and what a delight it is to listen to and speak to you on this fascinating topic.

I am responsible in the British government for the diplomatic interface with the technology of the kind we are talking about, it could be defence and security, or it could be other kinds and I will touch upon them a little bit later in my talk. Ladies and gentlemen, as you have heard and know this is not a world or a time for a grand strategy. We face a strained international order, characterised by state competition and mounting security threats as well as the kinds of non-state actors we have seen in recent years. As societies and economies have become more complex and more interconnected, new vulnerabilities have emerged and been exploited and they in turn damage the integrity of the open economic system which has underpinned our prosperity since the 1990s. We should think not in terms of two geographies, Europe and the Far East but also a third in the Middle East and that it going to impose new stresses and strains on that system.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought that reality into the sharpest relief as we have just been hearing. This weaponisation of connectivity – whether grain or gas – has driven soaring global energy prices and plunged millions of the world’s most vulnerable into hunger and famine. Many miles from the theatre of war potentially into hunger and famine . As Eric said this is the first broadband war, this is not just in technologies but in mind-set and leadership. Technology has been central to the response. But this comes in both directions, but the unity and resolve in Great Britain and United States, European Allies and others in responding to such an act of aggression has been very striking. We have imposed major macro-economic cost on President Putin, frustrated his war machine and strengthened Ukrainian leverage and power. And we know it caught Russia off-guard: our sanctions have already seen Russia facing its first external debt default potentially for a century. Above all, it demonstrated that the ‘political west’ has the economic weight to defend global stability and promote the values we cherish – openness, sovereignty and freedom.

Now this systematic competition that we have described is intensifying, and is growing in complexity. The geopolitical order is being superseded or placed within a wider new global order of opinion and connectivity and narrative. Our mission on economic security is clear and crystallising – at home and with partners, and I propose to touch on three aspects of that mission.

The first is learning from our Russia/Ukraine experience in order to do more to resist aggression and coercion. That means for us focusing on deepening co-operation with G7 allies to build a new economic security mechanism; what the Prime Minster has called an ‘Economic NATO’ that will improve our collective ability to assess, deter, and respond to threats from aggressive powers, including economic coercion. In the simplest terms if the economy of one partner is being targeted by an aggressive regime we should be prepared and we will be prepared through this new mechanism to support them.
Having such defensive economic measures alongside traditional measures of resistance in a state of readiness builds credible asymmetric deterrence to aggression including threats of military force. It underscores our commitment to a world in which respect for international rules and sovereignty is the bedrock of good relations, good business and healthy society.

Secondly, we must build our own resilience to shocks – this has been a big theme of the last 24 hours – whether they are organic or come from outside. The most urgent part of this task is to build redundancies and to end our dependence on authoritarian states who would weaponise our very openness and integration and connectivity to hurt us. We have shown unprecedented resolve in this respect – divesting away from Russian energy supply is a signal of upmost importance in showing our willingness to bear short term economic costs in defending a sovereign free state from unprovoked aggression.

We are also getting ahead in other possible areas of strategic dependence. Whether it is vital new technologies or the critical minerals that will power those technologies and support then. We are working to strengthen trusted supply chains that can be relied on whatever the geopolitical weather. Supply chains that can operate on a cost basis that allows them to be effective, wide spread and support our wider aims. That will mean helping allies pursue and consolidate strategic advantage – a practice of “friend shoring” across key sectors. And as we think to our friends, there is no closer or more trusted bond than that between our two countries the United Kingdom and United States of America. It is often said that democracies are slower to respond to threats but more resilient over time. We must change that, we must be quicker to respond and more resilient. We must be highly rapid in our response in a highly changing environment as Eric Schmit has pointed out.

Finally, we must learn in this new world to “play offence” even better than we are at the moment. That means not to abandon but to practice and exemplify the values we are defending. That is to promote the liberal international trading order, whose transformative benefits we have seen for many decades across the world. And to be a dynamic, reliable and a trustworthy partner. This applies to the terms of trade. We are at a globally high standard. The free trade agreements we are developing are of the highest quality when it comes to transparency and trust. And our new independent trade policy allows us to do more for emerging economies including through the Developing Countries Trading Scheme – a scheme that will offer 65 developing countries greater opportunities from exporting to the UK.

It also means extending our collective economic offer to the world – in the sectors that matter most to them, and without the strings of coercion we have seen our adversaries use. At the highest level, the G7 Partnership for Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) is an important leap forward. PGII will mobilise $600bn of reliable finance for infrastructure investment in low and middle-income countries over the next five years. What it shows is that combating future adversaries is not just liberties as a value itself but it is something we must turn our strength to and our capacity to innovate in support for the global good – in a whole range of sectors from vaccines to the next generation of energy production and many others. And these are sectors I will be focusing my team on within government in the coming months.

Ladies and gentlemen, the war of the future is the war of hearts and minds as well as weapons. If it was ever thus, it is more so now than it ever before. But we need to build and maintain that trust. And we will. Thank you very much indeed.

30/09/2022
Liz Truss – 2022 BBC Radio Leeds Interview with Rima Ahmed

The BBC Radio Leeds interview between Rima Ahmed and Liz Truss, the Prime Minister, on 29 September 2022.

RIMA AHMED

Good morning Prime Minister.

LIZ TRUSS

Good morning.

RIMA AHMED

[asked the Prime Minister if she was well and if she slept well]

LIZ TRUSS

I have thank you very much. It’s great to be here on radio, Radio Leeds.

RIMA AHMED

[asked where the Prime Minister had been following the mini-budget, the fall of the pound to a record low and the Bank of England spending 65 billion dollars to prop up the markets.]

LIZ TRUSS

Well, I think we’ve got to remember the situation we were facing this winter. We were facing a situation where people could have had to pay energy bills of up to 6,000 pounds, where inflation was increasing and where we were looking at an economic slowdown, which would have had a huge impact right across the country, including in places like Leeds, so we had to take decisive action. That’s why we took action to make sure people aren’t paying a typical fuel bill of more than 2,500 pounds and that’s going to come in this Saturday.

RIMA AHMED

[said that this happened before the mini-budget and asked again where the Prime Minister had been.]

LIZ TRUSS

Well, I’m here today on Radio Leeds talking to you. The point I’m making is that we had to take decisive action to help people through this winter and next winter. I understand that families are struggling with their fuel bills and we had to take urgent action to get our economy growing, get Britain moving and also deal with inflation. Of course, that means taking controversial and difficult decisions but I’m prepared to do that as Prime Minister, because what’s important to me is that we get our economy moving, we make sure that people are able to get through this winter and we are prepared to do what it takes to make that happen.

RIMA AHMED

[asked how the Prime Minister felt her controversial risks had gone]

LIZ TRUSS

Well, what it has done is it has made sure that people and businesses will be paying lower taxes, it’s opened up new road projects, new infrastructure projects, which will mean that we can get on with doing the things that will help people, whether it’s getting to work, setting up their own business and growing the economy. And what it’s done is made sure that businesses and people are protected from these very high fuel bills this winter. And let’s remember why we’re here. We’re here because of Putin’s appalling war in Ukraine, that’s pushed up global energy prices. Countries are under pressure around the world, currencies are under pressure around the world and that’s why it’s so important that this government took urgent action and within a week of becoming Prime Minister, I took urgent action on the energy bills. We’ve taken urgent action through our fiscal statement and we will continue to make sure that we are on the side of people who work hard who do the right thing, and making sure that people aren’t facing those very, very high energy costs.

RIMA AHMED

[Asked the Prime Minister if she had seen the risks of the Bank of England and IMF needing to become involved.]

LIZ TRUSS

We’re working very, very closely with the Bank of England and it’s important that we have an independent Bank of England. They’re responsible for setting interest rates of course, the Chancellor and the Bank of England work closely together. We’re facing very, very difficult economic times, we’re facing that on a global level. I talked to a lot of my overseas counterparts about issues like energy, about making sure that we’re dealing with those global economy [sic], but the important thing is that the British government acted to make sure that people are protected from these high energy costs, to make sure we’re getting the economy going. Of course, a lot of the measures that we’ve announced won’t happen overnight, we won’t see the growth come through overnight. But what’s important is that we’re putting this country on a better trajectory for the long term.

RIMA AHMED

[Asked how long that would take.]

LIZ TRUSS

The action we’ve taken on fuel bills will start this weekend.

RIMA AHMED

[Asked whether given high levels of inflation if that help was just a drop in the ocean]

LIZ TRUSS

The National Insurance reductions will happen this autumn, that’s where we had to take urgent action to make sure people aren’t facing those higher national insurance bills. And the projects that we want to get on with like the road projects, the broadband projects and mobile projects, those will be happening over the next year. So we’re getting things done as quickly as we can to get our economy moving, but also most importantly, making sure we’re supporting families and businesses through what is a very tough winter.

RIMA AHMED

[Said that people had been getting in touch to tell of their financial difficulties, including Lee who she had met in a food bank. He said that without the food bank then he wouldn’t have been able to feed his children and that many people were struggling.]

LIZ TRUSS

The issues that Lee raises and, you know, is clearly, clearly very, very difficult for people, it’s very difficult for Lee, the issue he raises like inflation, the package that we put forward on energy is going to reduce, or likely to reduce, inflation by up to 5%. The action we’ve taken on energy bills will mean that Lee and other people living in West Yorkshire aren’t going to be facing energy bills of 6,000 pounds which is what was forecast, they’re going to be, through the energy price guarantee, a maximum of 2,500 pounds. The action we’re taking on the economy to get the economy growing is all about making sure that people have higher wages in the future, that we are getting the investment into places like West Yorkshire, that we are building those new roads, that we are helping businesses get on so that we can have that higher wage economy. So this is exactly the reason we’re doing what we’re doing, is to help people like Lee through this winter and also make sure that he has a secure future in the long term.

RIMA AHMED

Thank you for being here. I don’t know whether that answer will help Lee in the short term. I don’t know whether that will give any any hope for the long term. But thank you for being here.

29/09/2022
Brandon Lewis – 2022 Speech at the Lord Chancellor Swearing-in Speech

The speech made by Brandon Lewis, the Lord Chancellor, at the Royal Courts of Justice on 29 September 2022.

I would like to thank the Lord Chief Justice for that warm welcome. I look forward to working with yourself and other members of the Bench during my time in office. As I look forward to working in Cabinet with you, Mr Attorney – and I would like to congratulate you on your re-appointment.

You bring with you not only your background as a respected barrister, but also your experience serving in the role during your predecessor’s time on maternity leave. I have no doubt that you will carry out your duties as a Law Officer with both the diligence and dedication that you are renowned for.

And I’m also delighted to welcome my esteemed colleague, Michael Tomlinson, to his new role as Solicitor General.

As the Lord Chief Justice has described, your role is historic and vital to our democracy – providing essential support to the Attorney and overseeing the work of our prosecuting authorities.

I know you will bring the same commitment and enthusiasm to the role as you have throughout your parliamentary career.

It is a huge honour to become Lord Chancellor and join such a long – if slightly daunting – list of names that includes Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Francis Bacon and Ken Clarke. The patron saint of statesmen and politicians himself goes before me – Sir Thomas More is also one of my predecessors.

Like me, Sir Thomas was fortunate enough to be the Member of Parliament for the fantastic, stunning constituency of Great Yarmouth. He was famously beheaded for treason – so I’m hoping I cannot match that similarity!

Today is, of course, the culmination of a years-long journey for me. From being called to the bar in 1997. To getting elected as a councillor in 1998 and leading Brentwood Borough Council. All the way through to the point where I entered Parliament in 2010, my first ministerial posting in 2012 and the four departments in which I’ve served since.

I hope to bring all of that experience to this job, but I recognise that the English legal system does have about 900 years more experience than I do! Throughout that time it has evolved to offer a crucial mix of flexibility and reliability that guarantees citizens’ rights and allows businesses to thrive and grow as well.

As we continue to pass it down through the generations, I hope to play my part in being both a good steward and a trustworthy custodian of English Law. That is why I take my responsibility to respect its enduring principle, the Rule of Law, so incredibly seriously.

The idea that everyone is equal before the law and that public authorities must act lawfully is the foundation of our society. It guarantees freedom and fairness in a modern democracy like ours. And we must always be aware that it is not guaranteed and therefore must be protected.

Judges are at the forefront of that work to safeguard the Rule of Law in our justice system, and I will do all I can to defend their judicial independence. I’m clear that the work of our judiciary matters…

…As does the work of our world-leading legal professionals, who are also represented here today. Together they not only deliver justice, they each play a crucial role in the evolution of the law and making sure that it continues to meet the needs of our country.

What this adds up to is a legal system that works. It is not just crucial to our success as a nation, it is one that is also recognised internationally, which is why the world looks to us to be its counsel and its courtroom.

In fact, in 2019 English law was trusted to govern some £250 billion of global mergers and acquisitions, and in 2021, over half of the cases heard in our Commercial Court were international in nature.

We lead Europe in legal services and globally we’re second only to the United States. In terms of what this means for UK plc, the figures speak for themselves.

Our legal services sector contributes over £29 billion gross value added to our economy each year, employing some 350,000 people. I want to make sure that justice continues to drive our economic growth as we recover from the pandemic and rise to the cost-of-living challenges that we see ahead of us.

We’ve maintained our world-leading position because of the flexibility of our system and our willingness to embrace change. I’m clear that if we want to remain an attractive legal centre then we must continue finding those new and better ways to provide legal services.

As Lord Chancellor, I will do all I can to support legal innovation – so that our legal services can be transformed, not just for the benefit of businesses and the public, but for our legal profession too.

I want to see a modern justice system that is built around the people who use it. One where we do more online, with the right guidance and support.

Whether that’s through making a claim or resolving a dispute. So that we can save time, cost, and stress to people seeking justice and reduce the burden on those who work in the system.

And we’ve got to be agile enough to ensure that English Law provides clarity for businesses through a period of constant change – in particular when it comes to digital and emerging technologies such as blockchain and smart contracts.

These technologies offer the opportunity for us to transform how our businesses operate, with more transparent and efficient ways of working.

I’m very much aware that we have already begun a process of modernising the courts to make sure that they are in good working order for the digital age.

As part of my duty for the efficient and effective running of the courts and tribunals, I intend to see through this ambitious and innovative programme.

I am also cognisant of the fact that COVID-19 was an extraordinarily difficult period and time for the justice system, the judiciary and our hardworking court staff who played a huge part in keeping things moving. I want to thank you for your hard work and determination to meet those challenges head on, including through innovation that was delivered at rapid pace.

While the knock-on effects of COVID-19 continue to be felt today, it is thanks to your dedication that we drove down the Crown Court backlog by around 2,000 cases from its peak in June 2021. This is a huge achievement – but there is still substantial work to be done. The family court sat to its highest ever level in 2021, and in the immigration and employment tribunals we have reduced the caseload from its peak during the pandemic.

As Lord Chancellor I am hopeful to see an end to the disruptive strike action that risks undoing the progress we have all worked so hard to achieve, and that is delaying justice for hundreds of victims – and causing the backlog to start to increase.

I’m pleased to have reached agreement with the leadership of the Criminal Bar Association today. They will be re-balloting their members quickly following new proposals for further reforms to criminal legal aid. These are generous and I would encourage CBA members to consider them carefully and positively.

I would like to say something about prisons and probation, for which I am also responsible as Secretary of State for Justice.

Prison and probation officers – some of whom were involved in the State Funeral procession – play a huge role in our justice system and are so often the hidden heroes of our society.

I want to also take the opportunity this morning to thank them for their immense efforts throughout the pandemic – and for their continuing hard work – to keep our prisons and the public safe.

I will continue to prioritise the creation of secure and modern prison places – ones that champion rehabilitation by equipping offenders to become active in the jobs market. This in itself will keep the public safe by preventing reoffending, but it will also help us play our part to drive the government’s agenda for economic growth.

I also want to explore options for reforming the Probation Service, which is vital in steering prison leavers towards better futures.

And I am determined to make public protection the overriding factor in parole decisions – so that we can be assured of the confidence of both victims and the public.

Mr Attorney, I want to finish by thanking you all for your warm welcome and reiterating my dedication to the oath I have sworn today. As I step into this ancient role, I am very, very much aware of my constitutional responsibilities, as well as my duty to the judiciary, the courts, tribunals and to justice more broadly.

I look forward to working with all of you as we each play our part in the justice system – to cherish and protect the ideals on which it was built and to carry on building it around the people who are using it every day. Thank you.

29/09/2022
Nick Boles – 2022 Article on Now Supporting the Labour Party

A section of the article in the Guardian newspaper on 29 September 2022. Nick Boles was the Conservative MP for Grantham and Stamford from 2010 to 2019.

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng possess a level of intellectual self-confidence usually found among undergraduates. They always have. Since 2010, when all three of us were first elected as Conservative MPs, they have known what they believe – and have viewed those who didn’t agree with them, or didn’t share their unshakeable certainty, with amiable contempt.

….

In the past few days, the values of sterling and government bonds have registered the alarm felt by international investors about the UK’s prospects. But the British economy is resilient and there is a limit to how much permanent damage even these two headstrong ideologues will be able to do.

In two years’ time, voters will be given a choice. By then I expect that there will be millions of former Conservative voters who will have tired of being lab rats in Truss’s and Kwarteng’s ideological experiments. They will look for leaders who are prudent, responsible and steady. Who don’t think they know everything. Who listen, and are in touch with people’s everyday concerns. I predict that they will conclude, as I have done, that it is the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, and his shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who best fit the bill.

29/09/2022
Leo Docherty – 2022 Speech on the Russian Sham Referenda in Ukraine

The speech made by Leo Docherty, the Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, in Vienna on 29 September 2022.

Vladimir Putin’s sham referenda must be seen for what they are. A brazen and desperate attempt, to justify an unprovoked and illegal land grab, of sovereign Ukrainian territory.

They are a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter. And wholly illegitimate.

That is why the United Kingdom will never recognise the supposed results. Nor any Russian attempt to illegally annex Ukrainian territory.

We have seen Vladimir Putin use this playbook before, in Crimea. As then, Russia will try to claim that these latest votes were free and fair.

But no amount of Russian lies can hide what we all see plainly: A sham. A propaganda exercise. Without a shred of legitimacy. Conducted down the barrel of a gun, by soldiers accompanying ballots door-to-door, forcing Ukrainians to vote.

For 7 months, in an attempt to destroy Ukrainian identity, Vladimir Putin’s forces have ruthlessly used violence and torture against civilians – and forced deportations – to exert control.

Sham referenda held under such fear and harassment can never be free, nor fair.

As highlighted by my Foreign Secretary last week, we know Vladimir Putin planned to rig the outcomes. Russia has no choice but to fabricate the results. These regions voted overwhelmingly to join an independent Ukraine in 1991, and for President Zelenskyy in 2019.

Earlier this week, the United Kingdom announced sanctions against those behind these bogus votes, including 33 officials and collaborators deployed by Russia to conduct them.

This latest Russian deception, and Putin’s decision to partially mobilise Russia’s population, only serve to highlight one thing: his invasion is failing.

His war machine is depleted. His supply of volunteers willing to fight in Ukraine has been exhausted. Partial mobilisation will only send many more thousands of innocent Russians to die in Putin’s war-of-choice. A war which he could end right now.

Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats are irresponsible and will not work. Ukrainians are highly motivated. The international alliance is cast-iron strong. We and our allies are clear that any use of nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences.

The United Kingdom’s approach will not alter. We will be steadfast in support of Ukraine – and its right to defend its sovereign territory – for as long as it takes.

We call on all participating States to join us in unequivocally rejecting the results of these illegitimate referenda, and any Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territory.

If we allow Russia to change sovereign borders by force, then the core principles on which the OSCE was founded – of sovereign equality; the inviolability of frontiers; and respect for territorial integrity – lie in tatters.

And all of our borders become less secure.

This is about freedom and security for the people of Ukraine. But also about freedom and security across Europe and the World.

29/09/2022